


If I Poke The Outlet The Light Goes Off: An Anthology Of Original Poetry

by minersmoon



Category: Original Work
Genre: Anthology, Gen, I Don't Even Know, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Original Works - Freeform, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Characters May Show Up Who Are Not In The Tags, Poems, So I’m Posting Them, So it's come to my attention that I have some stuff that's not tagged in here, Some Friends Told Me These Were Good, Some Of These Poems May Contain Copyrighted Materials From Other Authors. I Do Not Own Those Works., Tags May Change, These Poems Are Not Connected Unless Specified, so chapter-specific tags abound
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-17 15:22:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 1,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13079742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minersmoon/pseuds/minersmoon
Summary: These are all original works or remixes of other author’s works.Credit where credit is due: these are possible thanks to my wonderful friend AC (to whom this is gifted,) my better half K and her boyfriend O, and of course, the many people who feature in this collection of my works.





	1. there is a

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AquaCitty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AquaCitty/gifts).



\--------there is a (the highway)--------  
there is a  
world of blurs  
and red and white  
of chain link fences  
of metal and reflections and lines of light

  
\-------- there is a (the airplane) --------  
there is a  
world of clear cold air  
of nothing but empty sky  
clouds like tundra  
slashed by ribbons of clarity  
to the world below  
of green and tan and grey and black

  
\-------- there is a (the sentinel) --------  
there is a  
world of empty rock  
scarred by collisions   
meant for the world  
far

 

far below  
protecting it  
shielding it  
and in return  
the green and blue planet  
holds it  
nurtures it   
cradles it like a mother   
cradles her child  
and

in some ways  
it is  
formed from a shard   
ripped out of  
a barren world  
molten rocks and dust and debris  
hurtling through space  
to crash together

  
and there it is  
watching  
green and blue  
spread across the world below  
a benevolent god  
a child of space and time  
a guardian  
in many ways  
a silent sentinel  
guard to the green  
green   
(blue)  
(oceans of blue)  
planet  
that it will  
n  
e  
v  
e  
r  
touch  
until  
the  
end  
of  
the  
w  
o  
r  
l  
d  
but  
right now  
right here  
we  
are  
silent  
\-------- there is a (sound) --------


	2. after the commercial break

after the commercial break

sometimes i wonder

is there anything else out there

beyond this tiny planet

orbiting a mortal star

i too am mortal

i will die

the star will die

someday the universe will die

and then

well

and then

guess we’ll find out later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cheers, mum. this one’s for you and your obsessive monitoring of my TV habits when I was 5.


	3. maybe (that’s enough)

maybe  
(that’s enough)

  
there is a city  
made of steel and glass   
concrete slabs  
and chainlink fences  
stretching to the sky  
‘skyscrapers’ they call them  
yes  
they built those with human hands  
we built those  
our hands  
our glass houses  
from which we critique the world  
there is a city, i said  
that city is home to  
someone  
anyone  
a million people  
them  
me  
there is a city  
and that city  
is grey  
grey  
grey  
but   
the sky   
is blue  
blue   
blue  
and maybe  
that’s enough

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is for you, K. you and your amazing support. you are my light and my sister and i love you dearly


	4. pocket change and what we make of it

Pocket change, and what we make of it  
chance  
Life, millions of tiny chances against all sane odds,  
added up, to  
change the  
world  
Lottery tickets and penny candy  
As basic as the cosmic dance of stars  
Nature is  
delicate, to last thousand years  
these  
Strong, to be ripped apart by   
us as we inevitably change  
balanced out into a  
symphony of strings and  
candy bars wrapped alluringly  
but pocket change is only worth as much as we say it is  
and money is fluid like our minds, our futures  
maybe we should rewind time, go   
back   
to  
the days when we made fire with  
sticks and stones to break us  
that travel forwards with us into the future of our past that perhaps was not meant to be.  
and so we change, because life is change.  
so we’ve said that  
‘Life is only what you make of it’  
and so, if life is change, are we  
the cosmic butterflies,  
flapping slowly  
to create hurricanes?  
are we the ones that control our fates?  
or is there something else out there, holding a  
$1.99 lottery ticket and   
hoping they get the lucky number?  
because a pocket full of change  
Buys us penny candy and the stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, this is for you mum, you and your mind-mapping activities that don’t work but are fun anyways. actually, maybe they worked when i wrote this 3 years ago, it came out pretty well.
> 
> oh goddamn the formatting’s fucked up


	5. on existing

On existing  
I think that now, especially, i have a bit of an obligation to this world.  
It is my job to exist  
To continue existing  
I don’t know why  
Some days i feel like saying  
‘Fuck it’  
And just not going in  
To what?  
School. Work.   
(life)  
And some days i’m glad i do  
(because i’m a mess but so are my friends, and that makes it better, to know)  
I’m not alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for all of you friends who’ve been there for me for ages.  
> but especially for you K, and of course my oldest and dearest friend, the stuffed animal Lamo.   
> (I was not very creative when it came to naming things as a toddler. It shows.)  
> (Lamo is a lamb. Such brilliance, I know.)


	6. (you know who you are)

(You know who you are)

  
i love her  
(platonically)  
i do not think that i could ever love her  
(romantically)  
that’s because i can’t love anyone  
(romantically)  
but  
she is my friend, my sister, the other half of my soul.  
(my platonic soulmate, if you will)  
we’re fucked up in just the right ways to complement each other  
so to the girl who is the best person on this fucking planet  
(you know you you are)  
Thank you, K

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you are my guiding light, K. i love you, i’ll miss you, and i’ll probably live with you and your husband at 40 with your cats and dogs and children and those little feathery assholes you call birds. (why. the. fuck. are. they. so. LOUD. GODDAMN THEY ARE LOUD AF)  
> heheh...  
> sorry.  
> you’re my best friend and i’ll love you forever


	7. i don’t get paid enough (for this)

I don’t get paid enough (for this)

  
Yes.  
What  
No  
Go away  
Leave now  
Work  
Are you working  
WORK  
Leave now.  
Good  
Close the door  
(when i say close the door i mean ACTUALLY CLOSE IT, not leave it half open while you go on your merry way)  
Why are you not working  
This (is stupid)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> R, why are you a teacher?


	8. Chapter 8

This is (a bad idea)

When I said

This was a bad Idea

And you said

It would be fine

And i said

This is a really bad idea

And you said

All the good ones are taken

When i said

A really bad idea

I didn’t mean for you

To actually do it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eyyyyyyy  
> For Pennycat, Oscar The Hellcat, Shy Cat (love you, Shy Cat. even though that’s not your name. I know your name, I swear. It’s, um, Marley?) and other cat.  
> Oh and also my dogs.  
> Duncan, you are insane, and Ang, you really shouldn’t drink out of the pond. Just. No. Stop. I’m beginning to think this is why you have a recurring ear infection.  
> love you all.


	9. pine needles (this is for you, mr president)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhm  
> ima say this bluntly:  
> if you like Donald Trump as US president, you might want to skip this chapter.

Pine needles (this is for you, mr president)

* * *

  
I think  
you are an asshole  
and are probably suffering  
from mental illness  
So  
I will try  
To keep that in mind  
But  
You make it hard  
To remember what  
sanity   
Looks like  
Really, mr president  
Just because you’re rich  
Doesn’t mean your wife gets to put up tacky christmas decor  
In the fucking white house  
This is a disgrace to our fair land  
Purple mountains  
and shit like that  
Amber waves, mr president.  
All im seeing now  
Is the amber waves of dead pine needles on the white house floor  
Your cleaning staff  
Hates you, mr president  
Pine needles get everywhere  
and you will find them  
In your shoes  
Six months later  
Not after the tree is up, no.  
After it’s down.  
Just like your political career!  
Except you’re the rich guy (oh wait no change there)  
Russia is the metaphorical tree  
Your russian contacts  
Are those fucking pine needles  
And your lawyers are your cleaning staff  
Sucks to be them  
I would imagine  
That those pine needles are  
Everywhere in the fucking house  
In your food  
In your fridge  
Your shower  
Your carefully-cultivated tulip garden, in which a bigass pine tree will grow.  
(the tulips are, of course, congress)  
Do you not like what im saying here, mr president?  
I thought so.

Let me tell you a secret mr president  
(I don’t like you either)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y’know, if i ever “celebrate” christmas with my family at my house, i’m not putting up a real tree because those things shed pine needles like fucking crazy. and then you find them 6 to 8 months down the line. in your shoes. and your washing machine. and your breakfast cereal. and the toilet. i swear last year we got some stuck to the ceiling and they stayed there for /months/


	10. sex (she doesn’t get it)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> twofer one, y’all!  
> (sorta)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in which the author discusses her sexuality and romantic orientation!  
> oh yeah  
> already told you my romantic orientation  
> do you remember that?  
> it was in “(you know who you are)”  
> eh whatever

sex (she doesn’t get it)

  
She doesn’t understand.  
I mean, I don’t, not really.  
I don’t want love  
I have my friends, and I’d rather have five good friends than one significant other.  
But  
She doesn’t get it  
She thinks that this is a decision  
This is not a decision.

this is what it is, and she’s not going to change that

* * *

the huntress

 

You said you remembered, in third grade,

when I planned to live with K

she would be married to O

and I’d stay single forever

like Artemis

lady of the hunt

archer

goddess of the moon

we’d have a vet clinic together

and she’d deal with animals physically

and I’d read up on symptoms and medication.

those were the days.

young and carefree things, we were

and now, even now,

I still want that

 

 

(O if you hurt her I will hunt you down and make you wish you were never born. Consider this your first and only warning.)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for my mum  
> and my friends  
> and my aunt Ta  
> and my lil cousin T (thanks for your support, luv)  
> and all the amazing people who fought for this.  
> (and also my godbrother. you’re an asshole, RM, but you’re my kind of friend.)
> 
> This is dedicated to the brave people who fought for LGBTQIA+ rights.  
> Thank you, all of you, for making this world a better place.


	11. ascension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short but sweet

ascension

 

and i ascend   
on wings of steel  
trailing smoke  
but i will heal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wrote this watching a plane take off from about half a mile down the runway. it was terrifying tbh. the plane took off what looked like mere feet from the end of the runway and then looked like it flew straight up from my pov. my flight was good though.  
> that was the time i was going to iowa for a family reunion (well the second one. the first one we drove 20 hours to. also spending 10 hours in a car for 2 days is so. fucking. boring. i am so glad we flew that time.) i remember being scared because that was my first layover alone. it was fine though, and i spent like 10 bucks of my food money on candy. and then we got to iowa and i saw my grandparents and my cousins and that was fun! my grandmother and i went to the library, and i know it’s flat as a pancake and you can see for miles but she drives like a maniac (well not that bad, my aunt drives worse) and apparently you don’t get good avacados in iowa, but the corn was delicious. and the cookies. and my cousin works at a diary queen, so we had sundaes pretty much every night. i will never understand my uncle and the twins’ passion for golf, though. like. just. GOLF? really? it seems like there are more... exciting sports out there.  
> whoops that’s really long and probably more of my life story than you wanted to hear i’ll stop typing...  
> now


	12. Remix: House On Mango Street

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a remix of several vignettes written by Sandra Cisneros, compiled in the book “House On Mango Street.” I am not making any profit off of this, nor do I own the copyright. This poem was originally written in a classroom for use as analysis of how an author’s work can be twisted into different meanings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter-Specific Tags: death, sickness, death of minor character, implied parricide (murder of family member), implied poisoning, religous imagery/language, high heels, nightmares
> 
> This is a remix of copyrighted material, I do not own the rights to the book these lines are from, no money is being made off of this.

Lemons and Tin Cups (Of Death and Dreamers)

 

lemon shoes,   
those magic high heels  
spotted with satin scars  
those magic high heels  
must be christmas  
your lemon shoes are so beautiful  
i was ashamed  
i never knew  
she was going to die.  
maybe we were bored that day  
tired of being beautiful  
she sucked it up slow out of a green tin cup  
we didn’t know  
we didn’t know she was going to die  
and then she died,  
pretty like my mother  
she died  
she died  
she is in a world we don’t belong to  
lucy hides the lemon shoes  
under a bushel basket on the back porch  
until her mother throws them away  
(no one complains)  
(and then we began to dream the dreams)  
(woke up and they were there)  
it was real easy  
i was scared to eat alone  
everyone says  
wow  
who are they  
(the truth is it is scary to look down)  
most likely i will go to hell and most likely i deserve to be there  
what we did  
i deserve to be there

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For AC, who I think was a bit traumatized when I showed her. Sorry AC (not sorry)


	13. look (farewell)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter-Specific Tags: moving, divorce, nostalgia, old houses, very small child, highways, stars, goodbyes, loneliness, Boston MA, cities, painting walls?, the house that was gone got replaced by a farm in NH, really it’s quite lovely, there’s a lake and a barn and such, my life story, I’ve thought about these themes quite a bit and decided to finally write them out, so here it is

look (farewell)

 

there is a room  
sunshine yellow  
streaming through the window  
green green tree

there is a house  
red walls and green couches  
lavender and thyme  
cream and a poppy on the wall

love you forever  
songs at night  
and stars swirling on the ground and on the roof

look through the curtains. do you see them there?

that house with the sunshine room  
is gone gone gone  
the tree is dead long cut down

there is a house  
with plain white paint  
in every room  
and no flowers

they aren’t home together  
the songs are trucks now  
and those stars are cars screeching down the highway the ones on the roof are nothing but the city

and yet  
there is someone out there  
in a sunshine room  
in a lavender hall and cream and flowers  
in a car  
in a skyscraper looking down at the world  
and the city below  
is a   
sea  
of  
stars

goodnight, headlights  
goodnight, sunshine  
goodnight, flowers and cream and mossy green

farewell to everything left behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> based on personal experience after my parents divorced and we moved out of the city. I loved our old condo, top floor of a three-decker on a hill in Dorchester, you could see the sky and highways and downtown from the roof (and, to some extent, the back porch, which was mainly where I would see things from because /come on/ I was like 7 when we moved, and around 11 when we sold it, at which point I was trustworthy enough to go up on the roof at night while my mother showed the real estate agent around the place. But anyways. Yeah. um. yeah, based off my life I guess?


	14. athenaeum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter-Specific Tags: library, books, a window, this is really short

Atheneum

  
Half-circle window  
Sofa and sweet old book scent  
Quiet and calm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is for my dad and mum.  
> dad- i’m glad your girlfriend lives in salem so we can go to the atheneaum  
> mum- i’m glad you worked there for a while and got me the wifi pass so i could write this


	15. space between

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> stars and space: the story of the universe’s suntan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this one, just SPAAAAAACEEEEEEEE  
> (I like space sue me)

space between

 

stars like freckles on a cosmic face  
stories written in lights  
and the spaces between  
cats and birds,  
the hunter,  
the queen.  
we fill the gaps with hopes and dreams.


	16. you are

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter-specific tags:  
> Non-permanent major character death  
> Trees!  
> Location based off of memories of Halibut Point in Gloucester

youre a person dreaming of flight

youre a dead thing walking

they buried you once

in the snow, in the mud, in blood and fire and tears

you woke later and wondered at the taste of blood

if it was yours youll never know

you are a living(dead dead dead) contradiction 

a paradox of flesh and will

so maybe you died once

but you got up again

thats whats important

you got up

you clawed your way from the grave to see another sunrise

youre lost more than found these days

but isnt everyone a bit lost

its easy to wander

to look through the woods and go for the shine of light on water

its easy to get lost

to push through the bushes and thorns

and finally emerge into the glare of a summer day

reborn with wind in your hair and blood on your tongue

youre a person dreaming of flight

youre a dead thing walking

youre

youre

you are

you are you are you are

and you run barefoot over sunkissed slabs of uncut rock

and you eat wild blueberries that burst saltysweet on your teeth

and your hair is braided in sandy grass

oh you know

you know

you know

everything is eternal

if you can wait for it


	17. blood in your mouth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chapter-specific tags:  
> gore  
> lots and lots of gore  
> ew ew ew

youve forgotten what it was like to breathe without blood in your mouth

existence tied to that tang of copper and iron

lips painted red red red

yours? someone elses? 

it all tastes the same in the end

metal pulsing through your veins

like calls to like after all

blood will tell

life will find a way

red red lips but your hands are pristine

and as you live you bleed

the world is awash in crimson

you lick your lips and bare your teeth

whos next


	18. never quite enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chapter-specific tags:  
> depression  
> low self-esteem  
> :((

smart but not smart enough

happy but not happy enough

creative but not creative enough

social but not social enough

you just need a space to breathe

just enough space to curl

to hide away

to breathe

but you never have enough


End file.
